Skirt-supporter



(N o Model.)

S. M. SMITH.

SKIRT SUPPORTER.

No. 569,356 Patented Oct. 13, 1896.

wi tmaooeo g'vwawtoz UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SARAH M. SMITH, OF ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA.

SKlRT-SUPPORTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 569,356, dated October 13, 1896.

Serial No. 599,046. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SARAH M. SMITH, of St. Augustine, in the county of St. Johns and State of Florida, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Skirt-Supporters, which improvements are fully described in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying sheet of drawings.

My invention has for its particular object the production of a simple, cheap, and practical device by means of which dress-skirts, as commonly made and worn, may be quickly converted into bicycling or climbing costumes.

My new form of supporter is specially designed to prevent the skirt with which it is used from being accidentally elevated or displaced by the wind and. also gives the wearer of said device greater freedom in mounting a wheel or in dismounting therefrom, as is more fully explained hereinafter.

My said device consists, in brief, of a peculiar arrangement of straps, buckles, and rings which, when properly attached to the dressskirt and legs of the wearer, enable the latter to control the skirt by movement of the legs, thus leaving bot-h hands free.

Referring now to the annexed drawings, Figure 1 illustrates my newly-invented supporter as it appears when properly attached to the dress-skirt and legs, said skirt being indicated by dotted lines; and Fig. 2 is a crosssectional view of said skirt, taken just above the uppermost portion of my said supporter, showing particularly the manner of connecting the supporter-straps with said skirt and the relative positions of the connecting-straps and the garter portions of the device.

In the drawings the letter a denotes a dress-skirt, and 1) indicates garter-straps, with clasps or buckles 1), adapted to be fastened around each leg at a point just below the knee, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. Usually trousers of the so-called bloomer pattern are worn and are secured to the leg near the knee, as shown.

The letters 0 indicate straps, one for each leg, each strap being secured to the inner face of the dress-skirt at several points. (Here shown as three.) Each of the straps 0 ex tends around one leg of the wearer from the point of attachment at the rear of the skirt to the point of attachment at the front of said skirt, between the legs of the wearer, as at c, and this last-described portion of the strap has mounted thereon a freely-running ring (Z, that is connected with the garter-strap by a short strap 6.

It should be noted that the strap 0 is secured to the dress-skirt at points considerably above the level of the garter-straps, so that there is a constant tendency on the part of the straps to draw the skirt downward and thus prevent it from being raised by the wind. I find, too, in practice, that any movement of either leg in walking, climbing, treading the pedals of a wheel, or in mounting is followed by the skirt, the latter being thus caused to hang in natural and graceful folds instead of wrapping around the legs of the wearer.

Ordinarily when mounting a wheel it has been necessary to lift one side of the dressskirt by hand and arrange it properly over the saddle, but with my new form of supporter the lifting of the leg and placing the foot in position on the pedal ready for mounting serves to simultaneously lift that side of the skirt and place it in exactly the desired position, thus leaving both hands free to grasp the handles of the steering-bar.

All of the described straps are preferably elastic in order that they may yield under any abnormal or sudden strain instead of displacing or tearing the skirt or other connected parts. 7

Where the supporter is in use with a walking-costume, the rings d ride freely on the strap 0, permitting the short strap 6 to follow the movement of the leg, but keeping at all times a constant downward tension on said strap 0 to prevent the skirt from wrapping around the legs or being lifted by the wind.

In short, my described device serves to hold the skirt down and also to retain it in proper relation to the legs of the wearer when walking, riding, or otherwise exercising.

I prefer to attach to the inner face of the skirt tapes g, that extend from the rear connecting-point of strap a to the front, thus reinforcing the skirt at such points. The straps 0 may be permanently sewed to said tape 9, (or to the skirt, if said tape is not used,) or said straps may be provided with thereto near the front and rear portions, a hooks that may be quickly interlocked with ring traveling on each of the straps, strips suitable eyes sewed to the skirt. YVhen thus connecting with the rings, and garters to arranged, the supporter may be readily apwhich the straps are connected, the strip and I 5 5 plied toan ordinary dress-skirt, which may ring joining the skirt-strap above the garters,

then be made to serve either as a house-dress substantially as described. or cycling-costume. 7

Having thus described my invention, I SARAH SMITH claim as new and wish to secure by Letters Vitnesses: 10 Patent- ALONZO M. LUTHER,

In combination with a skirt, straps secured MAY F. RITCHIE. 

